“Yaaawn…”
Early morning on the way to Midtown High.
Julian stood by the road waiting for the chronically unpredictable school bus.
He looked completely and utterly drained, bearing the hollow, hollowed-out expression of a guy who had ‘rewarded himself’ way too much the night before.
After fending off several waves of sympathetic older women—who took one look at his exhausted state, assumed he was a young streetwalker working the graveyard shift, and generously tried to sell him discounted Viagra and black-tar heroin—the Midtown High school bus finally arrived.
Julian scrambled on board like a man fleeing for his life.
However, the moment he stepped inside, he realized something was very wrong.
The normally rowdy bus instantly fell dead silent.
Every single pair of eyes snapped toward him.
The burly football players subconsciously shrank into their seats.
The cheerleaders huddled together, blushing and whispering with bizarre, predatory glints in their eyes.
The weirdest reaction of all came from Flash Thompson, the guy who usually loved making his life miserable.
Right now, Flash had the brim of his baseball cap pulled down so low it practically covered his entire face.
He was huddled in the far corner of the bus, looking exactly like a traumatized poodle that had just been freshly neutered at the vet.
Honestly, compared to Flash right now, even the most socially anxious introvert would look like a beaming ray of sunshine.
“J, over here!” Peter Parker waved frantically from the back row, bouncing up and down like he had springs wired into his seat cushion.
The second Julian sat down, Peter excitedly whipped out his phone.
“Bro, you went viral!”
“What the—what did I do?!”
The exact moment those words left Peter’s mouth, Julian sucked in a sharp breath of freezing air, absolute horror washing over him!
The last time someone had told him that, it was back in his old life.
A female coworker had posted a selfie, and he had meant to comment, ‘You look great!’ But his thumb had slipped, and he accidentally sent, ‘You look great?’ Before he knew it, the screenshot had been forwarded to over a dozen different department group chats.
By the next morning, he was infamous across the entire company.
Peter shoved the phone screen in his face.
Playing on loop was a high-definition video.
On screen, Julian delivered a flawless side kick that sent Flash flying into a puddle of mud.
In the very next breath, he smoothly spun his umbrella around, cracking three other lackeys across the kneecaps.
His movements were incredibly clean and flowed like water—a perfect, textbook display of violent aesthetics.
Having finished watching the replay, Peter was practically dancing in his seat.
“From this day forward, you are the undisputed new boss of Midtown High!
Everyone’s calling you ‘The Master’!
Well?
Doesn’t that sound insanely badass?!”
The moment Peter said that, the entire bus somehow grew even quieter.
Flash pulled his cap down even further.
But despite the silence, everyone’s eyes were instinctively darting toward Julian.
Julian slowly turned to Peter.
He gave him a look that clearly screamed: ‘You’d lose stamina on top, you couldn’t take a hit on the bottom, you’d break character as a Dom, and you’d immediately fight back as a sub… but as an absolute, irredeemable dumbass, you are truly a flawless masterpiece.’
“…No, it doesn’t! Get faster updates on g.com.
Which bastard uploaded this?
I’m going to sue them for violating my portrait rights!”
Peter’s eyes instantly started darting around the bus in sheer guilt.
Plastering on an expression that practically begged, ‘Can we just pretend I died?’ he muttered quietly, “Well… maybe some handsome, kind-hearted, upstanding American teen accidentally filmed it, accidentally edited it, and accidentally posted it online.
But since it was a total accident, I think we should just let it slide!
“Oh, right!
Later today, we get to tour Columbia University’s newest biology labs and check out their state-of-the-art electron microscopes!
I heard they’ve been studying this completely unique species of genetically altered spider…”
As Peter continued to babble, the yellow school bus slowly rolled to a stop outside the main gates of Columbia University.
Flanking the ancient stone archways were classical Greek statues, serving as monuments to the seamless blend of science and art.
The gates weren’t overly massive, but they carried an undeniable air of solemn dignity.
Tall iron fences separated the serene campus from the chaotic noise of Broadway, yet somehow managed to maintain an open, welcoming atmosphere.
Sunlight filtered through the thick ivy, dappling the red brick pathways where students hurried past with arms full of heavy textbooks.
A steady, grounded aura of academia completely saturated the air.
“Midtown High seniors, listen up!”
The second they stepped off the bus, their student advisor, Mr.
Jackson, raised his megaphone.
His voice was stern and crystal clear.
“Before we begin this tour, I am going to emphasize this one more time!
Stay with the group!
No running around!
No yelling!
Please remember, you are guests of Columbia University.
Being allowed to tour these facilities is an immense privilege, and I expect you to maintain the proper etiquette of a guest.
If you have any questions, raise your hand…”
Julian and Peter stood near the very back of the herd, half-listening to the chaperone’s tired lecture out of pure boredom.
Suddenly, a very familiar voice called out from behind them.
“Hey!
Peter!
J!”
The two boys turned around and instantly spotted a young man walking briskly toward them.
He was dressed in a flawlessly tailored navy blue suit, his bright blonde hair gleaming under the morning sun, and he was carrying two beautifully wrapped gift boxes.
It was Harry Osborn.
Peter’s eyes went wide.
He quickly closed the distance with a massive grin.
“Harry?! This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
Weren’t you in Switzerland?
When did you get back?”
Harry laughed, handing the two neatly wrapped boxes over to them.
“I just landed in New York this morning.
I heard you guys were touring the campus today, and I just happened to be passing by.
So, I figured I’d drop in and see you.
Well?
Are you surprised?!
Didn’t see that coming, did you?!”
He punctuated the sentence with a playful wink.
Julian smiled and accepted the gift box, though deep down, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity for the guy.
‘Poor kid.
He completely lost the ability to experience the struggles of being poor at such a young age.’
According to the original Julian’s memories, Norman Osborn was currently suffering from the crippling effects of a severe genetic disease.
Things were looking pretty grim for him.
Out of sheer necessity to prep his heir, Norman had already begun handing over various Oscorp Industries affairs for Harry to manage.
After the three of them chatted and caught up for a bit, Peter instinctively blurted out, “How long are you staying in New York this time?
Man, it feels like forever since we all hung out!
Oh, right, how is Uncle Norman doing late—”
Before Peter could finish the question, Julian’s hand shot out with lightning speed and clamped firmly over the idiot’s mouth.
“It’s rare that you actually have some free time, and we haven’t seen each other in forever!” Julian smoothly interrupted.
“Do you want to come inside and join the tour with us?”
Right on cue, Mr.
Jackson’s raspy voice echoed through the megaphone.
“Gather up!
Anyone who isn’t in line within the next three minutes will be writing a three-thousand-word essay on the importance of punctuality!”
Harry looked genuinely tempted for a brief moment.
But after a second of thought, he shook his head with a helpless sigh.
“I’ll have to pass this time.
Let’s do it another day.
Things have been a bit chaotic inside the company lately, and I have way too much on my plate.”
Julian and Peter fell quiet, stepping forward to pull Harry into a tight hug.
Julian clapped a hand firmly onto Harry’s shoulder, looking him dead in the eye with unwavering certainty.
“Don’t worry, Harry.
Uncle Norman is going to get better.”
Harry managed a weak, appreciative smile.
After saying his final goodbyes, he hurried over to a sleek Rolls-Royce Phantom parked along the curb and was driven away.